Vocal Advancement Podcast

Some people are born to perform.

Take Savannah Stevenson. This English singer and actress got her first job understudying for Mary Poppins with the Original Cast of the West End production of Mary Poppins before she graduated from the Guilford School of Acting. She’s gone on to have a very successful career on stage, playing Glinda for three years in the West End production of Wicked, has acted in multiple TV shows, and also built quite a name as a voice actress.

But as much as Savannah loves acting, she also loves teaching. She taught younger students while studying at GSA and has gone on to teach several masterclasses and coach young actors intent on beginning their own stage and screen careers. 

This passion for education, coupled with her real-world experience, gives Savannah a valuable insight into what performers and teachers need to know about the acting industry. In this episode, she shares how the auditioning process has changed, the type of actors that schools and casting agencies are looking for, and even how prospective students can stand out when applying for drama schools.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How Savannah got her first professional gig before graduating from drama school 9:15
2. The differences between performing on stage and performing on a TV show 12:34 
3. What teens pursuing a career in acting need to know about the industry 17:16 
4. How important it is to attend a good drama school 21:32
5. How embracing diversity has opened new doors for performers from different financial and racial backgrounds 23:00
6. The advantages modern technology provides in the auditioning process 24:01
7. Whether or not living in a theater district is important for getting cast in theater and film 24:35
8. How each of Savannah’s favorite roles helped her grow as an actress 26:40
9. How an acting coach can help performers sing better 33:34
10. Why students need to understand the type of roles they can be cast in when auditioning for drama school 35:51
11. How different body types, accents, and ages are more accepted now in casting 38:07
12. How certain music choices can help prospective drama students stand out in an audition 41:43
13. What teachers and acting coaches need to know about working with young performers 44:05

Learn more about Savannah’s private coaching and masterclasses by visiting her website.

Learn practical techniques to help your students best explore the character they are portraying within the musical theatre genre with Savannah's IVA Webinar, "Tools/Application for Acting the Song."

Gain the teaching tools you need to become a better vocal coach by joining the IVA community. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset that students of all ages benefit from, showing you how to improve your own teaching style. You’ll gain access to webinars and online courses taught by industry leaders like Savannah and enjoy the benefits of their perspectives. 

Interested in seeing what we have to offer? See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

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How old should your voice students be before they start taking singing lessons? For many instructors, the idea that only prodigies with natural singing talent should start training as children continues to influence which students they choose to work with.

But for child singer expert and voice teacher mentor Dana Lentini, teaching kids how to sing doesn’t mean giving college-level instruction to children. Instead, Lentini, whose online classes include teenagers she started training at the age of five, feels that imparting the fundamentals of singing is something that can be done at any age. More importantly, she feels singing lessons can help all young students — not just future opera singers and pop stars.

In our talk with Lentini, she shares why working with young pupils is beneficial for both students and instructors. She offers resources for creating age-appropriate singing lessons that allow students to leave classes filled with joy. And she explains how choosing the right songs is fundamental to help young singers discover not only what their voices can do but also what music can accomplish.   

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How teaching college courses and elementary school classes simultaneously showed Lentini that singing instruction can be adapted to suit younger students 9:46
2. Why more voice teachers should consider taking on young pupils who aren’t pursuing a singing career 17:11
3. Lentini’s response to voice teachers who believe children shouldn’t be taking voice lessons 19:08
4. What teaching “singing technique” means when instructing young children 24:47
5. The advantage of being able to work with young students for several years 28:32 
6. What Lentini looks for in a song that can help young singers develop better oral skills, personal expression, and singing technique 30:38 
7. How singing instruction can be as much about opening minds up to other cultures as it is about teaching singing technique 40:34
8. How a game of “carpool karaoke” can reveal much about student preferences and musical awareness 42:04
9. Classroom techniques that make singing classes for engaging for young learners 45:22

Find teaching resources (and freebies!) by visiting Dana’s website and sign up to receive her blog updates. Dana’s songbook Singing Kids’ Songbook is filled with music choices for students of all ages.

And don’t forget to download Dana’s IVA webinar “Teaching Singing Techniques to Children” where she addresses the unique physical and mental aspects of teaching singing techniques to young children.

At IVA, we provide the teaching tools to help you offer the type of functional training voice students need. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset students benefit from, showing you how to be a better vocal coach by example. Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry.

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

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As voice teachers, we regularly help our students with multiple vocal challenges — but few of us probably deal with the range of clients this week’s guest has.

As a speech language pathologist and clinical singing voice specialist, Marci Rosenberg works with anyone who uses their voice professionally in front of an audience — from singers to preachers to lawyers to sports announcers — at the University of Michigan Vocal Health Center.

Specializing in repairing injured voices, Rosenberg’s work in vocal health has helped her see that no two patients are alike and everyone deserves to be treated holistically. As such, she tailors the vocal exercises she teaches to match each client’s psychological state so they gain the maximum physical, spiritual, and mental benefits from her treatment.

In this episode, Marci reveals the most common vocal issues people come to her clinic with. She shares her views on mistakes singers make when trying to rush through their vocal exercises. And she emphasizes the value of moving toward your goals slowly.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How a field trip to a voice clinic led Marci to pursue a career in speech language pathology 12:22
2. The number of diverse clients a speech language pathologist can see in a day 20:41
3. How collaborating with patients and getting them to do the bulk of their voice work helps Marci manage her large workload 23:16
4. Why addressing a patient holistically helps them better than just focusing on their vocal folds 23:55  
5. The most common vocal issues people are now seeking help with 25:19
6. How COVID-19 has created entirely new populations of patients for clinics to accommodate 26:25
7. Why taking a person’s performing and psychological needs is essential when tailoring voice lessons 28:33
8. Common mistakes singers make when using straw exercises to improve their singing 32:10
9. How focusing on the process of your voice lessons leads to better results than rushing through voice exercises 41:40

Learn where Marci will be lecturing and presenting next by following her on her website.

Marci’s IVA webinar “To Sing or Not to Sing? The Performer’s Guide to Managing Illness and Performance Demands” offers practical strategies for singers to manage their voices when they become ill. Download the recording to hear her insights.

See Marci demonstrate effective ways to use vocal straw exercises by checking out the video version of this podcast on YouTube. Don’t forget to comment, subscribe, like, and follow us!  

At IVA, we provide the teaching tools to help you offer the type of functional training voice students need. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset students benefit from, showing you how to be a better vocal coach by example. Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry.

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a job where you’re asked to sing backup vocal for Lady Gaga, record songs for Disney, or perform as a singing penguin — sometimes the day before recording begins. This week’s guest Gerald White has done all of this and so much more.

As a session singer, Gerald is on call regularly by recording studios and production companies who need him to perform in recording sessions and live performances. This has allowed him to provide vocals for films ranging from “Happy Feet” to “Avatar” to “Deadpool 2.” He’s performed for multiple Academy Awards, done live shows at the 2003 Olympic Festival in Dodger Stadium, and even lent his vocal skills to video games like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.”

But what is it really like being a session singer — and more importantly, how do you get into this industry? In this podcast, Gerald gives many behind-the-scenes stories about a session singer’s life. You’ll learn about the type of skills that are invaluable to a session singer, how social media is changing the way session singers can work, and how session singers “stay on the list” and get regular work.

In this episode, we’ll reveal

1. How a childhood spent singing R&B and pop in Mississippi led Gerald to pursue a singing career in LA 6:08 
2. How a sight singing course led to work in the session singing industry 9:37
3. How quickly a recording session moves for session singers — and why they don’t get a lot of rehearsal time 13:19
4. Why providing a penguin’s singing voice for “Happy Feet” remains one of Gerald’s favorite projects 14:55  
5. Why different groups of session singers remain local while others tour more 17:47
6. Why “getting on the list” and becoming part of a contractor’s talent pool is vital to getting regular session singing gigs 20:01
7. Why the fast-paced world of session singing requires singers to maintain their voices regularly, especially during the heavy season 23:08
8. The challenge of finding the balance between performance and teaching for a session singer 28:00
9. The different types of versatility session singers offer in recordings 30:38 
10. The importance of remaining professional around celebrities in the world of session singing 38:41

Gerald offers personalized individual and group voice lessons online and in-person for performers interested in becoming better singers. He also teaches sight singing and vocal masterclasses. Visit his website to learn more.

Interested in learning how to become a session singer? Download the recording to hear all his insights. Gerald’s IVA webinar, “Managing a Successful Career as Both a Voice Teacher & Performer.”

At IVA, we provide the teaching tools to help you offer the type of functional training voice students need. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset students benefit from, showing you how to be a better vocal coach by example. Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry.

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Birthday! Can you believe it’s been ten years since we began the Institute of Vocal Advancement?

In that time, we’ve had the opportunity to connect with teachers, performers, and voice scientists from around the world. We’ve built global communities of music teachers who have been very generous with their knowledge and expertise. And we’ve had the pleasure of hosting conferences where educators get to sharpen their teaching skills — and show off their prowess at the karaoke machine.

As we look toward the next ten years, we thought it would be fun to look back at how far we’ve come since we were just a group of ten people looking to make a difference in music education. Get ready to enjoy some fun memories… and discover what really happens when you put a large group of performers and voice teachers in the same room.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. What we wanted IVA to be when we first founded the group ten years ago. 9:20 
2. How we’re evolving our programs moving forward to benefit teachers 13:44
3. The close-knit communities that form within an IVA conference 16:15
4. What happens when you put a group of music teachers in a bar that plays live music 23:40 
5. The generosity you can expect at an IVA conference where everyone — from veteran teachers to newcomers — have valuable knowledge to share 31:35 
6. The principles IVA was founded on that foster open conversations about the vocal world and a constantly expanding knowledge base 34:26
7. Why IVA is being taken seriously by voice scientists 36:10
8. What Tom and Heather are most looking forward to in the next ten years for IVA 37:13
9. How IVA training helps music teachers develop an ear for identifying issues in their students’ voices 40:40
10. How sharing your teaching techniques with others improves your own teaching skills 43:25
11. How advances in AI, voice apps, and VR may shape voice lessons moving forward 45:07

Do you have a favorite IVA experience you’d like to share? Post your memories (and photos!) on our Instagram page by looking for the hashtag “#IVA10.”

And be sure to email us your stories by contacting us on our website! We look forward to hearing from you!

At IVA, we provide the teaching tools to help you offer the type of functional training voice students need. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset students benefit from, showing you how to be a better vocal coach by example. Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry. 

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes, all you need to take your life in an innovative direction is the right questions. This week’s guest, Dr. Jenevora Williams, became a specialist in the field of singer vocal health by teaching boy choristers at Westminster Abbey.

Realizing no one had done a lot of research into how vocal training was affecting children’s health, Dr. Williams took it upon herself to studying the groups of singers she was working with. What she found made her understand how important it is to have someone advocate for the safety and mental well-being of not only children but also singers in general.

Today, Dr. Williams is helping to advance the study of vocal health by training the next generation of rehab specialists. She also continues to work one-on-one with singers and has many important insights into how a person’s mental health influences their physical well-being and performance.

Join us as Jenevora shares how her work with children now impacts all singers. Discover how a singer’s state of mind relates to the state of their voice. And learn what a rehab specialist can do to help untangle a singer’s mental issues — and which professional lines they must learn not to cross.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

1. The music and science background that led Dr. Williams to become the first singing teacher to earn a PhD in voice science in the U.K. 8:27
2. The unexpected discoveries she made about how vocal training impacts young singers 13:25
3. The importance of advocating for the well-being of child performers — and allowing children to advocate for themselves 19:15
4. The training program Dr. Williams is developing to help train rehab specialists 24:02
5. The charity she’s developing to benefit speech therapy departments and music teachers 27:25
6. The time it takes to properly diagnose a person’s vocal issues 29:30
7. Ways teachers can structure their in-person and online classes to care for their voices 30:50
8. The trends Dr. Williams sees in the problems singers come to her with 35:32
9. The way social, mental, and emotional problems can manifest physically in a singer 38:01
10. How Dr. Williams works with singers to acknowledge their emotions and link them to their physical state 39:16
11. The professional lines a vocal coach must be careful not to cross when working with a singer’s mental and emotional issues 41:38

Dr. Jenevora Williams offers many free resources for teachers and students on her website. You can gain access to her courses on teaching children’s voices as well as online courses for music teachers and choral directors beginning their careers.

The “running commentaries” that detail Jenevora’s thoughts on teaching and learning can be found on her YouTube.

Find Jenevora's book, “Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults” on Amazon.

Gain access to a global network of seasoned voice teachers eager to share their expertise and help you become a more effective instructor. By joining the Institute for Vocal Advancement, you’ll be able to take part in webinars and online courses used by teachers who work in every part of the music industry. See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and see how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee! 

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When you’re preparing your students for a career in the performance arts, technical knowledge isn’t enough. Sometimes, even the most gifted students experience performance anxiety, preventing them from fully expressing themselves on stage or participating in lessons. Unfortunately, not every performer is willing or able to turn to a therapist, making it difficult for them to reach their goals.

This week’s guest Dr. David Juncos is looking to change that. A clinical psychologist and musician, David trains voice teachers in a non-clinical version of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), allowing them to address student anxiety issues. With David’s aid, teachers learn to help students be more mindful when they experience music performance anxiety (MPA) and put that anxiety in its place.

In our talk with David, we learn more about his background in music and psychology. We discover why certain students develop performance anxiety. And we learn how overcoming performance anxiety doesn’t mean getting rid of anxiety but rather working with anxiety when we need to perform.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. What motivated David to work with musicians and performers 9:14
2. How David’s early studies in MPA helped singers and musicians with performance anxiety 14:17
3. Why David believes voice teachers don’t need to outsource music performance anxiety problems to psychotherapists 17:27
4. How David trains teachers in ACT coaching 18:01
5. The type of students most likely to have performance anxiety 22:32
6. The two major patterns David sees in people with performance anxiety 24:13
7. How diffusion techniques help performers distance themselves from anxious thoughts 26:51
8. Why mindfulness training and journaling help you sustain attention and choose which thoughts to focus on 28:49
9. How David’s book “ACT for Musicians” provides resources for understanding MPA and incorporating ACT into music lessons 32:40 

The book David co-authored, “ACT for Musicians: A Guide for Using Acceptance and Commitment Training to Enhance Performance, Overcome Performance Anxiety, and Improve Well-Being” by David G. Juncos and Elvire de Paiva e Pona is available on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

David’s IVA webinar course, “Treating Music Performance Anxiety with Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)” shows how singing teachers can use ACT to treat MPA issues in their students.

Connect with David on LinkedIn, where you can find links to many of his publications on ACT.

We hope you enjoyed our podcast. You can also find video versions of our podcast on YouTube!

Would you like access to a global network of voice coaches eager to share their expertise and help you become a more effective teacher? Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement, and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry. 

See our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s nothing like someone saying, “You’re never going to do that again” to make you want to find a way to beat the odds.

For years, Heidi Moss Erickson worked as a professional singer in the U.S. and abroad. Then a cranial nerve injury left her with a nearly career-ending case of facial paralysis. Told she’d never sing again, Heidi turned to her background in neuroscience to study how the brain signals motor skills so she could rewire herself to sing and speak clearly again.

What she discovered enabled her to not only perform again but also help voice students calibrate their own brains and become better singers.

Today, Heidi is considered a leading expert in evidence-based vocal pedagogy. She’s taught many courses, lessons, and master classes on voice and has written numerous articles for the Journal of Singing, The Washington Post, and other popular publications.

In this episode, Heidi tells us all about her early life, education, and journey of self-discovery. Join us as Heidi shares insights on how to train the brain to perform fine motor tasks. Learn why “mistakes” are an essential part of developing a good singing voice. And discover how embracing new vocal science still allows you to honor classic voice pedagogy.                 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

1. How Heidi’s early education gave her a background in both music and science 5:30 
2. The link she discovered between music and neuroscience 11:49 
3. How studying brain function allowed her to recover from a rare cranial nerve injury 13:40 
4. Why making mistakes while performing is necessary to give the brain the data it needs to calibrate itself 15:37  
5. Why Heidi intentionally makes her students sing notes improperly to help their brains develop better performance techniques 17:36 
6. How accepting new findings in voice science doesn’t mean you’re not honoring classic music pedagogy 20:46 
7. How recognizing that a brain’s calculations are made in the absence of respiration helps you train yourself to keep from feeling you’re running out of breath 24:48 
8. The value of accepting you can be wrong in your beliefs 30:25 
9. How the brain treats the voice differently from any other muscle due to the speed it takes to coordinate all your vocal muscles 33:00 

The book Heidi references on human breathing is “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor

Heidi has helped many singers struggling with pitch in her IVA webinar course “Do you hear what I hear?”

And be sure to keep up with Heidi on her website where she shares many articles and resources.

Would you like access to a global network of voice coaches eager to share their expertise and help you become a more effective teacher? Then join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry.

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a good singing teacher is an art. You need to explain voice science to your students in a way that lets them understand how their voices work. At the same time, you want to make sure they don’t get so caught up in vocal theory that they can’t use their knowledge to perform.

Our guest this week knows the challenges of balancing theory and skill. Ken Bozeman is a naturally gifted singer who began his career as a performer and then spent years studying voice science. After developing his own breakthroughs in the understanding of vocal physics, he began sharing his findings in articles, books, and personal lessons. Today, he continues to teach and lecture, and has presented at several IVA conferences and workshops.

We chatted with Ken and got to know more about his early life singing in the church and practicing “shape-note singing” with his grandfather. We also learn how his vocal journey let him work with legendary vocal pedagogy pioneers like Richard Miller and vocal scientists like Heidi Moss. Join us as Ken shares his history and offers a unique perspective on the role voice science plays in effective vocal instruction.  

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

1. How Ken began singing in church performances before he was nine 6:48
2. How his grandfather introduced him to the practice of “shape-note singing” 8:10
3. Why it took Ken eighteen years to have his first “Ah-ha!” moment on the physics that allowed professional singers to produce the sounds they need to perform 10:51
4. How working with Richard Miller led to the discovery of what Ken considers the Holy Grail of vocal passaggio 14:49
5. Why modern voice science doesn’t replace historic pedagogy but helps explain what the original pedagogues knew about how the voice works 19:55
6. The difference between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge — and how both contribute to voice lessons 20:55
7. Ken’s in-depth explanation of how different singer’s brains cause them to hear and perceive harmonics differently 23:25
8. How the procedural knowledge of music teachers allows them to know things vocal scientists don’t 27:29

Read Ken’s article “A Case for Voice Science in the Voice Studio”

The book by Richard Miller that Ken references is “The Structure of Singing”

Find Ken on his website. You’ll find a wealth of free pedagogic resources to help with your education.

You can also order his books Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy and Practical Vocal Acoustics.

Gain access to a global network of seasoned voice teachers eager to share their expertise and help you become a more effective instructor. By joining the Institute for Vocal Advancement, you’ll be able to take part in webinars and online courses used by teachers who work in every part of the music industry. See how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

And don’t forget to review this podcast and check out our other episodes full of fun insights from voice professionals around the world!

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How well does your classical singing training prepare you to teach music students today? With the market demanding different skillsets from singers who want to build careers in music theatre, CCM, and other fields, teachers must be familiar with multiple methodologies to prepare their students.

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Benson realizes this. As an Associate Professor of Music Theatre Voice at Auburn University, Elizabeth saw the need for a teaching resource that shares the core values and systems different teachers use to instruct their students. Such a resource not only helps teachers learn new methodologies but also familiarizes them with techniques their students were taught by other teachers.

This led Elizabeth to interview 26 expert CCM pedagogues — including Irene Bartlett, Mark Baxter, and Kim Chandler — who work with leading CCM and musical theatre singers around the world. The resulting book, Training Contemporary Singers, offers teachers a wealth of collective wisdom they can apply in their own classrooms.

Join us as we chat with Elizabeth about the current diversity in modern voice teaching. Listen to her thoughts on the influence voice teachers have over their students and the need for inclusivity and representation in music programs. And learn how connecting with different teaching techniques helps you place students on the right path for their singing goals.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The advantages Elizabeth’s book offers singing teachers on learning different teaching methodologies 06:22
2. New perspectives on belting in musical theatre that go against commonly held beliefs 10:48
3. The different backgrounds in today’s voice teaching world 14:39
4. The value of being able to refer students to music teachers better suited for the type of singing students want to learn 15:27
5. The need for representation, inclusivity, and genre equity in today’s diverse music programs 20:23
6. How creating a hierarchy of the “best” kinds of music can lead to exclusion and less accessibility for students who come from different backgrounds 24:30
7. The importance of making sure students feel seen, heard, and empowered 25:59
8. The role of size discrimination in the music industry 27:20
9. The importance of taking student body perception when designing your teaching practices 29:12
10. The new expectations Generation Z has for their music teachers 36:07

Find Elizabeth’s book, Training Contemporary Commercial Singers, on Amazon.

Connect with Elizabeth on her website.

And be sure to check out Elizabeth’s IVA webinar, “Trends in Teaching CCM Singing.” Use the code “iva-podcast” to receive $5 off any upcoming webinar event.

Interested in attending professional development webinars with leading voice experts and becoming a more effective instructor? The Institute for Vocal Advancement grants you access to a thriving global community of teachers who work in every area of the music industry. Learn more by visiting our list of upcoming events and Teacher Training Programs.

Use the code “iva-podcast” to receive $5 off any upcoming webinar event.

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